The Florida Gators held off the South Carolina Gamecocks 24-14 in Columbia. The Ol’ Ball Coach had his alma mater on the ropes heading in to the 4th quarter, but yet another big play by the Gator defense sealed USC’s fate. With the win, the Gators moved to 10-0 on the season, and finished with a perfect 8-0 SEC record, the first time since the 1996 national championship team...

I think it’s clearly apparent now that Urban Meyer is playing semi-conservatively on the offensive side of the ball to increase time of possession and decrease the risk of injury. The game plan has simply been to score early, run the clock out, and rely on your defense to stifle your opponent. This may not look pretty, but it’s been quite effective.

Urban knows that a healthy team is crucial for late-season success. If you remember, in 2007 the Gators were using Tim Tebow as a battering ram over and over again. This led to a slew of injuries throughout the season. (Yet, he still rocked the house with probably the greatest single season ever by a quarterback statistically, but I digress…)

Also, a lack of depth on the defensive side of the ball meant that starters were playing tons of minutes every game. This combination led to a 4-loss season. Last season, Coach Meyer started using more substitutions and limiting Tebow’s fullback carries, and it led to a national championship. This year has been even more conservative as last season.

I think he’s figured out that he doesn’t have to throw the ball all over the field, or use Tebow as Superman on every single play. The fact is, when it comes down to it, our players will be physically and mentally ready for a big late season game, specifically Alabama and the bowl game. And that’s how you win championships.

As for the USC game, I think there are some troubling revelations. Firstly, I’m still concerned about kicker Caleb Sturgis. I’ll give him a pass on the two missed 50+ yarders, as I’m not expecting him to make every one of those. However, he kicked ANOTHER kickoff out of bounds. It’s inexcusable. Giving your opponent the ball at the 40 yard line is a big advantage, and severely affects the field position battle.

He also missed a short field goal from the left hash. I told my buddy right before the kick that he was definitely gonna shank it. I had no prior data to tell me otherwise. Now, I think he’s solid on all other kicks, but I think Urban needs to seriously consider Jonathon Phillips from the left hash if the opportunity arises.

Secondly, although Riley Cooper started off fast, I was disappointed to see him drop two long distance sure-fire touchdown passes. On both occasions, he had beaten his man downfield and the ball hit him right in the hands. In my opinion, if you’re playing the right to play for a national championship, you need to dive for those balls and make the play.

On a positive note, it was clear that Cooper was beating his man on every play. I remember watching plenty of replays where he was alone downfield. He was visibly upset on numerous occasions on the sidelines following possible big plays. However, if you see a weakness in your opponent, you need to attack it repeatedly, or as the very least until they make adjustments.

Finally, After Tebow took a big hit in the 2nd quarter, he looked a little dazed when he got up. I’m always concerned that the next hit will be the one that knocks him out.

Other than that, I think we played a very good game, even though the score might not show it. We controlled clock and our defense made big plays when they had to, specifically consistently pressuring the quarterback. Next week we get Florida International at home, prepping us for the home finale against FSU.